The roots of physical therapy reach all the way back to 460 BC with the introduction of massage and hydrotherapy to reduce pain and heal the body. Over time these techniques became more accepted and developed, eventually becoming a professional enterprise with documented techniques for manipulation and depicted illustrations. Many of the techniques that have existed for hundreds of years are still used in treatment plans today.
In the mid to late 1800s the physical therapy movement started to become more organized, with professional physiotherapy (the name for physical therapy outside the US) groups beginning to form in England. Quickly following suit in the early 1900s, the University of Otago in New Zealand began formal training programs; meanwhile, Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC pioneered the effort in the United States, graduating the first “reconstruction aides,” which we now call physical therapists. This led to the introduction of formal rehabilitation in hospital settings.
As physical therapy expanded, research became instrumental in the continued development of the profession and practice. In the early 1920s the Physical Therapy Association, now known as the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), was formed to help establish educational standards and, in later years, accreditation for programs.
Research and technology began to shape the industry, and uses for manual treatment became common. Over the next few decades, the primary focus of physical therapy shifted toward the treatment of physical ailments associated with Poliomyelitis, or Polio, as well as physical injuries of wounded veterans. During this time the face of the medical industry changed with a majority of physicians transitioning from general practice to a specialized field.
Throughout its evolution, physical therapy primarily consisted of exercise, massage, and traction; however, the 1950s brought the dawn of manipulative procedures to the spine and extremity joints. Though the main arena for practicing physical therapy was still in hospitals, the utilization of the profession in other settings began to emerge.
In the 1970s specialization of the Physical Therapy field began in the United States, with the APTA introducing the orthopaedic section. More organizations began to emerge, including the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT), that continues to strive for change and progress in the field worldwide today.
Influencers began to crop up from across the globe, finding new techniques and uses for physical therapy and manual manipulation, allowing for more and more parts of the body to be treated. The explosion of technology in the 1980s brought on a new era of technical advances such as ultrasound, electric stimulators and, more recently, therapeutic cold laser treatment. Some of the advances found during this period have fallen out of practice, like electronic resistive exercise or Isokinetics, but have laid a foundation for continued growth as the industry progresses.
Manual therapy began to garner more attention in the 1990s with the creation of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT), which banded physical therapists together with a specialization in manipulative therapy. This led to the formation of formal residency and fellowship training, including the first Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs. The initial programs were transitional and allowed practicing professionals to upgrade their knowledge and clinical skills to keep up with changes in healthcare, followed shortly thereafter by the first entry-level DPT programs.
According to CAPTE, over 31,000 students enrolled to receive their DPT (reported December 2016), with almost 13,000 more entered into PTA programs nationwide. In addition to growing numbers, more physical therapists are becoming board certified in a wider variety of specialties. These include Cardiovascular & Pulmonary, Neurology, Geriatrics, Orthopaedics, Pediatrics, Sports, and Women’s Health among others, giving patients the opportunity to use physical therapy for more symptoms.
Due to the rapidly growing elderly population and people striving to stay active as long as possible, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there will be a 36% increase in physical therapy jobs by the year 2024! As more consumers turn to natural treatment options, demand for physical therapists will continue to rise, so it’s a good thing that more and more students are flocking to DPT programs across the country.
Today we see physical therapists practice in a wide variety of settings including outpatient orthopaedic clinics, public schools, colleges and universities, geriatric facilities, rehabilitation centers, hospitals and medical centers. As healthcare landscapes change, physical therapy continues to become more widely accepted as the first option for pain treatment and musculoskeletal conditions. With the rise of the opioid epidemic, the need for natural, non-invasive treatments is becoming more and more important.
#THINKPTFIRST 